State gives out grades

Tonganoxie students score well across board

The Tonganoxie School District achieved Standard of Excellence status in several categories, according to the 2009 Kansas State Report Card released Tuesday by the Kansas Department of Education.

Based on this past school year’s state assessment tests, the district reached Standard of Excellence status in 10 categories.

At Tonganoxie High School, students met SOE requirements in reading and math, but not science and writing.

At Tonganoxie Middle School, students in grades 5, 6, 7 and 8 had SOE status across the board in reading. Eighth-graders also had the distinction in math and writing, while fifth grade met standard of excellence requirements in math.

The McLouth School District achieved SOE status in a number of categories as well. McLouth High School scored in the SOE range in math, but not science and writing. Like Tonganoxie Middle School, McLouth Middle School scored across the board in reading in grades 6-8. McLouth Middle School also achieved SOE status for sixth-graders in math.

And at McLouth Elementary School, these grades made SOE status: third- and fourth-graders in reading, and third-graders in math.

State scores improve again

For a ninth straight year, more Kansas students are achieving or exceeding reading and math standards.

“We are very pleased with the achievements,” said Deputy Education Commissioner Diane DeBacker as she unveiled the Kansas State Report Card for 2009.

On the reading test, 85.7 percent of students are meeting or exceeding standards, up from 84.1 percent in 2008 and up from 59.2 percent in 2000.

On the math test, 82.8 percent met or exceeded standards, compared with 81 percent in 2008 and 50.3 percent in 2000.

In both math and reading, achievement increased at every grade level — the tests are given to students in third through eighth grades and to sophomores — and every subgroup. The subgroups are students who receive free and reduced-price lunches, students with disabilities, English language learners, blacks and Hispanics.

“To see these increases is very encouraging,” DeBacker said.

The math and reading tests are used by the federal government to determine if schools are making adequate yearly progress under the No Child Left Behind law.

The state also gives a science assessment to students in fourth, seventh and 11th grades. On that test, student scores increased slightly in fourth grade and 11th grade and remained the same in seventh grade.

Even with the improved percentages, the number of school districts that didn’t attain adequate yearly progress under No Child Left Behind increased from 27 in 2008 to 34 in 2009, which represents 11.5 percent of all districts. And the number of individual schools that didn’t make adequate yearly progress increased from 144 to 172, which represents 12.4 percent of Kansas schools.